Cloaked in Shadow
by The Werewolf Mage
Summary: Raymond and Jackie are back, this time the two are partnered together by their shadowy employers to head to Sushestovanie Island to meet with Alex Wesker and see what they can learn about t-Phobos. Takes place before and during Revelations 2.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Cloaked in Shadow

Summary: Raymond and Jackie are back, this time the two are partnered together by their shadowy employers to head to Sushestovanie Island to meet with Alex Wesker and see what they can learn about t-Phobos. Takes place before and during Revelations 2.

 _Notes: I had a totally different sequel in mind for Raymond and Jackie, but as I played Revelations 2 again, I started to wonder what Raymond was doing, so I changed the entire sequel idea and now this is what I have. I had hoped he'd appear in 2, but at the same time I was glad he didn't. They just love killing my favorites lately!_

Chapter 1

In a darkened room in an apartment building on the Maldives, a phone began to ring. It was not a smart phone; it was a cheap, disposable cell phone with one of those shrill rings installed. A hand shot out from under a tangled mess of blankets to snatch the offending phone.

"Yeah?" a woman asked, a strand of dyed blond hair falling in her face. She yawned and sat up, blinking back sleep and fighting the desire to go back to bed. The phone call, after all, was going to be something important.

"Walz, I've got an assignment for you." She rolled her eyes as she cut on the lamp and reached for the pad and pencil she kept by the bed. _Of course_ there was an assignment. That would be the only reason that particular phone of hers would be ringing.

She listened patiently as the mysterious person on the other end spoke. While the organization had many people working for it, she was certain whomever called with details was someone she had never seen before. By the time the timer on her phone reached ten minutes, she had her details, even if she had to get her contact to spell the name of the island three times to be sure she was right.

"Keep in touch," the caller said to end the call.

"Right," Jackie said, stifling a yawn. She hit the end button and returned the phone to the table. Not before catching a glance at the clock. She allowed for a groan. It was only a quarter past five in the morning, and yet she would be awake.

She glanced down at the bed next to her and rolled her eyes again. "Raymond," she said, nudging the sleeping man next to her. He mumbled something in his sleep but otherwise did not stir. "Come on," she said, "we've got a job."

"Great," he said sleepily. "Tell me about it in about four hours."

"Four hours?" she asked in disbelief.

"Just because you're awake doesn't mean I want to be."

With a sigh of annoyance, Jackie gave up and got out of bed. She would leave him to sleep, if that was what he wanted.

By the time his four hours had come and gone, Jacqueline had been awake, had showered, dressed, and eaten breakfast. She heard Raymond get up and the shower turn on. By the time he was out, she had been curled up on the small couch for nearly an hour, her tablet in her hand.

"Getting a start on our assignment?" Raymond asked, his tone still a little sleepy, once he finally joined her, a glass of juice in his hand. He leaned over her shoulder, then scoffed. Despite being a highly skilled hacker, the bright colors and chimes of her favorite match three game was all he saw.

"I thought I would leave that to you," she replied, watching as a cascade of colorful pieces fell on the screen. As the game was still comboing, she handed him the paper with all of the details.

"Sushestovanie Island?" Raymond asked aloud as he read it. Jackie did not answer, but he had not expected her to. As he read, he groaned aloud. "A Wesker? They're sending us to deal with a Wesker?"

Jacqueline finally looked up from her tablet. "Scared?" she asked. Though she had no place to tease him. Her stomach had dropped as soon as she heard the name.

Their eyes locked. Raymond smirked and asked, "So, when do we head out?"

Jacqueline frowned at him and returned to her game. "I decided to let you handle the arrangements.'

"Of course," Raymond said with a scoff. As he left the room to make a few calls to their contacts, it was her turn to smirk. She always enjoyed pushing his buttons.

Sure, they had been successful in their mission to Citlali, and they apparently worked well enough together, but it was still fun to mess with him. If she was honest with herself, not only was she certain that they would never be partnered together again, but she was also so sure that he would not take her up on her invitation to her apartment. That had changed once he actually showed up.

This had been the third time, and the longest he had stayed. He wanted to keep moving, to stay away from the BSAA. A part of her did not blame him, another part wanted to tell him to calm down, they couldn't bother them here.

Or so she had convinced herself. With a sigh, she shut off the tablet, stood up, stretched, and joined Raymond. He glanced up from his spot on the bed, still a mess and neither of them wanted to make it, and held up a finger to stop her. "Three hours?" he said, nodding as whomever was on the other end of the call spoke. "That should give us enough time to get ready. We'll see you at the airstrip."

Jackie sat next to him on the bed and asked, "Did you change your mind? I didn't get the impression you wanted to meet this Alex Wesker too badly."

"Let's get it over with," he said. He ran a hand through his unnaturally red hair, then said something Jacqueline had not expected him to say.

"Before we go, dye your hair."

"Why?"

"The last time i worked with a blond, it didn't end well."

She took a strand of her dyed hair between her thumb and forefinger. She had just dyed it and did not feel like coloring it again so soon. She glanced at Raymond and said, "But you said three hours. Is there even enough time...?"

"I'll pack," he told her. She sighed, then headed to the bathroom. Raymond's tone was more than enough to convince her that he would not let it go. In a cabinet under the sink she found her dye. She reached for a brassy brunette, then smiled to herself and took a cue from Raymond's book. She did not pick his bright red, but instead chose a deep red that was nearly purple. The box called it "red violet."

Nearly three hours later, Raymond Vester and Jacqueline Walz sat at a tiny airstrip awaiting their pilot, three bags packed and waiting at their feet. At the sound of a small craft approaching, Jackie playfully nudged Raymond with her shoulder. "On the road again," she said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: _I'm wondering if I might need to play the storyline of Revelations 2 again, just in case. Yeah, like that'll be hard to do! It just doesn't match up to the first, though it is pretty good. I kind of always saw RachaelxRaymond as one-sided on her part. And I adore Rachael, but her design is so impractical!_

 _Also, a little worried about my pacing. Like always._

Chapter 2

"So," Jackie began, breaking the silence once they were seated on a small charter jet, "tell me about your blond partner."

Raymond glanced at her before turning his attention elsewhere. "Why don't you play with your colorful fruit?"

Jackie scowled at him. She had stored her luggage away, including her tablet, but that was not the point. "You brought her up," she reminded him.

Raymond drummed his fingers on the armrest of his seat before saying, "Fine. Since you asked, she and I were on board the _Zenobia,_ sent to investigate. We split up, she took one end and I took the other. And she was attacked by the creatures on board. Eventually she turned into one."

Jackie made a face. "Sorry I asked," she muttered.

Raymond shrugged as though it was no big deal. "I can't imagine having her bangs in her eyes really helped much."

"You can't be serious." When Raymond nodded, she could only shake her head. "Wow," she mouthed. They lapsed into silence again.

Once the flight stabilized, she pulled her tablet out of storage, but not to match brightly colored game pieces. She pulled up maps for their destination, muttering to herself as she did.

"What has you so frustrated?" Raymond asked after several minutes of her shaking her head.

"Our destination. The Russians call it _Zabytij,_ or "forgotten." It's not even located on any maps."

"Well I'm sure we'll see it from the air," Raymond said drying. Jacqueline swatted at him, missed completely, and scowled. He chuckled and stroked her hair. "Relax," he said, "you're on edge." He leaned over and hit the X on her screen to close the maps. "Just match your fruits."

"I will," she said, pressing the app on her device. "But not because you told me to."

"I can talk to the pilot, if it will make you feel better."

Jackie shook her head. She stared at the screen in front of her, her lips pursed. She began to tap her index finger on her cheek as she studied the screen for a match. Raymond leaned over and swiped his finger across the screen, matching three plums and creating a small cascade of combos.

"Thanks," she said with a tiny smile.

Her thanks was ignored, instead, Raymond persisted. "What has you so frustrated?" he asked again.

With a sigh, Jackie glanced around. First out the window, then towards the small cockpit, then to Raymond. She had always treated anything provided by their employers as being bugged. She would not put it past them. "This Wesker thing," she admitted. "I know it bothers you, too. With Spencer being killed by Albert, Albert himself being killed in Africa, this Alex is the only one left. And if Alex has made it this far... Can we really be sure we'll be safe?"

"It's in the job," Raymond told her. He felt her concerns were well founded. But what else could they do? If they were told to see Alex Wesker, then they would have to. Or probably get executed in a dark building and dumped off somewhere where no one would find them.

As he watched her play, he decided he would leave his own worries unvoiced. There was no point in worrying her even more than she was.

His own throw away cell phone chirped in his pocket. Jacqueline looked up from her tablet as he pulled it out. It was a simple text.

 _Stuart will meet with you once you land._

"Guess we found our contact on the island," Raymond said, shoving the phone back in his pocket.

"I suppose so." Shifting in her seat, Jackie peered out the window. Under the whispy clouds, she could make out the ocean and a few small islands. "I guess we're nearly there."

"Must be."

Jacqueline took her time shutting down her tablet and packing it away. "At least we won't have to worry about the BSAA," she said, looking out the window again. "If this place is uncharted, they couldn't find it if they wanted to. And so far I haven't seen anything in their emails saying that they even know of Alex Wesker."

"Hmm." Raymond had no time to fully respond. Just then, the pilot announced they would be landing within minutes.

"I don't like that we're being so obvious," Jacqueline confided.

"Me either," Raymond whispered back, "but you said it twice now. This place isn't on any maps. It can't be a tourist hot spot, so we'll stick out anyway. I guess it's best we're obvious with Wesker about what you and I are doing."

"Right." They fell into silence again until the plane landed. As Raymond and the pilot exchanged a few words, Jackie took out her phone. This was not her disposable one. this one was a newer model with most of the bells and whistles included. As she tapped away at it, an older man approached. She tucked it away, not before activating the GPS on it, as the sounds of his heels grew closer.

Neither of them seemed to like what they saw. The man scowled as he looked her over head to toe. Perhaps her well worn suede boots were offensive, or maybe the red violet hair dye. Whatever bothered him enough to show disgust clearly on his face made Jacqueline hate him.

That same disgust went to Raymond when he joined them. "You must be Stuart." The old man, or Stuart, timidly took Raymond's hand and gave him a limp fish hand shake.

"This is not what I expected," he muttered. "Master Alex will not be pleased. I don't see why they had to send anyone at all." He cleared his throat, ignored Raymond raising an eyebrow towards Jackie, and said, "Master Alex is far too busy to meet with you, but we'll find somewhere for you."

Raymond grabbed his own bag, Jackie grabbed hers, and they followed this old man with a clear dislike for anything other than formality and pressed black suits, to a dark car with tinted windows. He chose to sit up front with a driver who spoke no English while the two of them took the backseat. They both wondered just what exactly would be waiting for them the further they got into the island.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: _Kind of ashamed of myself here... I only just now found the Lottie skin for Cipher, and Rachael's for Gina. Though I adore Gina, I also love Rachael. Decisions, decisions. I do think those two are sisters or otherwise related, and honestly I'd love a running gag of Foley girls in the Revelations series._

 _But that Lottie skin, that's a freakin' hoot!_

Chapter 3

"Everything's so... brown." While that was not the complete truth, their settings were very drab and dismal. Most of the buildings in the area were brown, either from rusted metal or old wood. Even the people they saw wore muted colors. They peered at the vehicle from behind half open doors or watched warily from the streets.

"I see why we'll stand out," Jacqueline mouthed. Raymond nodded.

From the front of the car, Stuart said, "Right now, since Master Alex is so busy, we will take you to a private residence for you to stay. I will summon you when Master Alex is available to see you."

"Thanks," Raymond said.

"Appreciate it," Jackie muttered. Neither of them seemed too pleased. Surely their employers knew they would be unwelcome. Stay out of trouble and observe had been ninety percent of their instructions. Aiding and assisting had been the rest, along with gathering any information about Wesker's virus.

Those would be dull to follow. But as Raymond had mentioned before, it was part of the job.

The car stopped in front of a small one story house only a few blocks away from the towering monstrosity that all but screamed "Alex Wesker is in here!" Stuart reluctantly handed a set of keys to Raymond before asking, "Do the two of you carry firearms?"

"Yeah."

"Don't show the locals unless you have to. They can be a little... hostile."

With that somewhat ominous warning, he returned to the car and left them. Jackie watched him leave until the car turned a corner and said, "Well, let's go check out our palace."

The private building, probably held for researchers or someone else working under Alex that was low on the ladder, was only three large rooms. The bathroom was so small there was not even a tub in there. It boasted only the necessities: a small sink, shower, and toilet. The kitchen area, a part of the largest room, was little more than a hot plate and toaster over.

The largest room also served as a sleeping area. Four twin beds had been shoved against the wall and haphazardly covered with sheets. A lumpy futon sat by the other wall, stuffing leaking from one side. On the far end of the room was a tiny closet, completely empty except for two wire hangers.

The third and last room was better than the other two, though it boasted a few surprises of its own. It was a somewhat modern set up, with several electrical outlets and newer modems and routers. Their cell phone signals were the strongest in that room as well.

"Look at this dinosaur," Jackie said, removing a dusty tarp. Underneath was a large beast of a desktop computer, clearly from the '90s. "I haven't seen anything like this in years."

"It's probably the best they could do here," Raymond said from the door. "I get we're an inconvenience," he scoffed, "at least according to Stuart, but when he said private residence..."

"Yeah, me too," Jackie said, covering the old desktop back up. She placed a hand on the covered monitor and asked, "So, what do you expect?"

"Nothing, and that's the weird part."

"Tell me about it." She actually shuddered before following Raymond to the largest room.

He grabbed her suddenly and pulled her close, almost as if in an embrace. Jackie let out a squeak of surprise. He ducked his head and whispered, "In case this place is bugged, keep everything you want packed. Don't leave your tablet and laptop in there with that dinosaur as you called it. And always be ready to leave at any second."

After getting over her initial surprise, Jackie laughed and said, "Oh, I didn't think you cared." In a lower voice she added, "You _know_ this place is bugged, and there's probably cameras around too. Clever, Raymond."

They broke their "embrace" and looked to the twin beds. "Should we push two or three of them together?"

"If you want," Raymond said. As they started, he was honestly surprised when he saw how clean they were. He expected quite a few suspicious stains. He and Jackie pushed them together near the middle of the room. There was a small backdoor on the side, and he had debated on putting them near it, but in the middle was safer.

Raymond sat down on one and unzipped the smallest bag. Inside were two handguns and plenty of ammo. Jackie looked up from where she was, in the room with the electronics as she heard the click of a handgun clip in place.

"You think that's wise?" she asked, her hand paused over a crate filled with simple, rough, scratchy blankets for the beds. She looked at it, scowled, and tossed it back in the box. Surely there would be somewhere around to buy better blankets.

"When the locals are noted as hostile, yes. Just keep them covered."

She rejoined him and sat next to him on the bed. "Want to explore?" she asked. "Or should we wait for the brown noser?"

Raymond suppressed his laughter. "All that Master Alex..." He shook his head. "From the sound of it, he doesn't want us around. I doubt he'll come back in time. But just in case he does, maybe one of us should stay here."

Without waiting for her to argue, he handed her one of the handguns. "You stay here," he told her. "I'll call you if I need you."

She gave him a mock salute and watched as he left through the front door. Perhaps by force of habit, or perhaps due to the idea of hostile locals, she locked the door after him and watched out for a few minutes. Two women, who looked a lot older than they probably were, stood with their heads together, conversing and nodding towards the house.

"Creepy," Jackie muttered. She left the door and sat down on the bed. The place was clean, even if the outside surroundings were grimy looking. She was aching to explore, but a small part of her wanted to stay put. There was a window directly across from her. Even from where she sat, she could see the huge tower. "This is going to be interesting," she muttered. "Raymond needs to hurry back."

* * *

"Do you plan to use them for test subjects?" Stuart stood inside the doorway of a large room decorated mostly in white. The woman he addressed was also adorned in white. She stood on the other side of the room, her back to him as she studied some results on a printout. He was worried she had not heard him as the silence continued on.

Finally, she spoke. "No," she said. "I'm going to take what i can get out of these new guinea pigs, and then I have a special task in mind for them."


	4. Chapter 4

Notes: _Well, I can't say, of course, but I'm hoping it'll be interesting! And I just had to include them thinking Alex is male, simply because most of us thought so!_

Chapter 4

When it finally came to meeting Alex Wesker, which took nearly a week before time "allowed" them to grace Wesker's presence, they were in for a minor surprise. Neither of them expected to find a well dressed and elegant blond woman. Both would later admit to expecting a man, more along the lines of Albert Wesker than this woman.

She may have acted disinterested in them, but what she really wanted was information on tlatl. "Not only did I hear that you saw a specimen yourself, but you also managed to get some very important data," she said, trailing off.

As a show of peace, or perhaps as a way to get Alex to not think of them as test subjects, Jacqueline had given a flash drive to Alex with most of the information she had stolen the first time she worked with Raymond. Alex had taken it and pocketed it.

To Raymond, she had been a little colder, if possible. She knew he worked for the FBC, that one of his colleagues now worked for the BSAA. It took some effort, but they convinced her the BSAA knew nothing of her. Jackie had had to lose her temper at one point. "Look," she had said, "I promise you they know nothing. If the BSAA knew another Wesker was out there, it would be all over their database. I haven't seen anything about you, just Albert from time to time even now."

Alex had smiled at that, thanked her though her voice oozed sarcasm, and sent them on their way with the promise that she would send for them later. "But feel free to explore the island," she said. "Just mind yourselves."

That had been three days ago. Neither had really taken Alex up on her suggestion of exploring the island. They were not comfortable with it, not just yet. Jackie sat cross legged on the floor, one finger poised over her tablet, and while it played cheerful music, she was not playing any game.

Sh was instead listening to Raymond, who lay on his back on their makeshift bed, on the phone with one of their employers. "I cannot help that," Raymond was saying, "and I'm not breaking in. She said she would send for us - No, not all - "

Jackie listened to his side of the conversation, nodding as he spoke. While she did not know what was being said, she was pretty sure of how the conversation was going. Badly. It seemed someone wanted them on the inside of Alex's little operation, but she was too smart for that.

"If that's what you want, then we'll do it," Raymond said before hanging up the phone.

"She's not letting us anywhere near her," Jackie said, resuming game play.

"No, but they want reports from the civilians. What they think of her, what they know. People like her seem to underestimate normal people. So I guess tomorrow we'll start that exploring she suggested."

"Hmm."

"You don't like that."

"No, I would really rather not be killed by an angry civilian who I have done nothing to." She sighed wearily, then offered her tablet to him. She was stuck on a level, and he had managed, so far, to get past four she had struggled with, and with very little effort on his part.

To her surprise, he shut off the tablet and said, "Why don't you come to bed?"

* * *

The following morning they dressed as inconspicuously as they could. Drab clothes, drab boots, and even a drab and boring hat for Jacqueline. Though the hair they could not, nor would they, hide. "This is crazy," Jackie whispered.

"I think you have to be a little crazy for this kind of job," Raymond whispered back, though he had no idea if the people around them could even understand them.

"Good point."

They began a slow walk towards Alex's tower, which seemed about as good a place as any to start. They had heard, from Stuart, that his beloved Master Alex would meet with any locals who had any problems to bring up with her.

While they had both expected a crowd, they were surprised by the size of it. It was small, but it would rowdy. While they could make out snatches of English, most of the people were shouting at the building in their native Russian. Some small children at the front of the crowd were even throwing rocks, rocks that missed the building by several feet, but that would certainly be frowned upon.

Jackie assumed their parents had put them up to it.

"These people are going to disappear, aren't they?" she whispered to Raymond.

"Most likely," he whispered back.

Even though they hung back in the crowd, people had started to notice them. Some of the hissing and jeering became directed towards them. "Tell your boss leave!" someone shouted.

"She isn't our boss," Raymond said, his tone calm. He had one hand in his pocket, the other was linked with Jackie. "In fact," he continued, "I'm sure some of you have met with her more than we have."

"Why else would you come?" someone demanded in a thick accent. They spoke English well, better than many of the people amassed in front of the tower.

"We were sent here to see her," Jackie answered. "But she has very little interest in us."

An older woman, sobbing loudly, broke through the crowd. Either she did not hear them, understand them, or believe them, but she chose them to lash out at.

"She took everything," she cried. "Husband and sons, all went to mines on her promises and never come back! She said one year. _One year!_ She took them and probably kill them!'

Jackie and Raymond exchanged a look, then looked back at the woman, who looked torn between leaving and attacking them more. Before she could make up her man, the man from before, the one who spoke English well despite his accent, stepped forward. He was a big bear of a man, over six feet with a thick, bushy beard. He clasped a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"You see what she has done?" he asked. "She came here acting like a hero, saying she'll save us and bring tourism and wealth back to our people. Instead, she has been the source of many disappearances." He looked back at the tower and added, "Some people still admire and respect her. Many of us don't. Not anymore."

"You seem to know a lot about what's going on," Raymond said slowly. He held out a hand, but the big man shook his head.

"I'm not sure if I can trust you," he said, "but if you want, we can meet up later. Tomorrow, perhaps."

"Don't, Milek," someone hissed from the crowd. Jackie recognized her as one of the young women who had been talking in front of their small residence. "They could be lying."

"For all we know, they are," he said. He patted the top of the woman's head, which came only to his elbow, affectionately. To the outsiders, he added, "There's a small park outside of town, rather run down because no one uses it now. Meet me there tomorrow, at noon."


	5. Chapter 5

Notes: _I guess I never really noticed the bracelets on the Afflicted, but really the only bracelet i ever truly noticed, other than scenes, is Neil's. His is just so GREEN! And he's the only one I've gotten to Level 100 so I've used him a lot._

 _But I can make it work._

Chapter 5

"You think Milek is going to do something stupid?" Jackie asked as she and Raymond walked to the park to meet the large Russian.

"No telling, but I think you and I will be better armed either way. The better question," Raymond said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked, "is if Alex is watching us."

"There's no question about that, doll," Jackie said with a sigh. She ignored Raymond as he arched an eyebrow at her. "I kind of feel like she has eyes everywhere, you know?"

Raymond stopped as she continued to walk. "Doll?" he asked himself. By that time she had stopped and looked back.

"Coming?"

"Yeah." He caught up with her easily, then added, "Have you noticed something?"

"How quiet and deserted the place looks?" When he nodded, Jackie shook her head and asked, "Have you really seen anyone working, though? Since we got here, I mean. The place has always been kind of empty."

By that time they had almost reached the park. It was in sight, and Milek was waiting for them. He was not exactly alone. There were at least a dozen other people standing and waiting, though they tried to make themselves hidden.

Milek nodded to them, then called out, "You came early! Good."

"What about your friends?" Raymond asked, jerking his head to the nearest person, a thin, reedy boy in his early teens. He crouched behind a broken down car, which was not a very good hiding place.

"They come to eavesdrop, hear things for themselves." Milek shrugged. "It might be better to have witnesses."

"For what?" Jackie demanded. Raymond put a hand on her shoulder. He knew she was good with a gun, and she'd hold it on Milek if he asked. But she needed to wait. This was not the right time for that. Even though he brought some "friends" they still outmatched them. He was fairly confident these people either could not afford guns, or more likely, Wesker had had them taken away.

"What needs to be said. And what you two have to say for yourselves."

Jackie scowled at him. "And what do you have to say?"

"First, a warning. In the interest of fairness, I should tell you to stay away from the fishing village. The people there, they mistrust strangers. Unless you want to be locked up and starved like that foolish traveler, stay in town."

"Fairness, in your eyes, is a veiled threat?"

"No threat, just truth." Milek gestured towards the two of them. "Now, your turn. Why are you here?"

"That's how it's going to be?" Jackie asked, turning to Raymond. "We're going to literally exchange words?"

"Guess so." He turned to Milek, who stood about half a dozen feet away from them. So far he had shown no threat to them, his hands were out in the open and he seemed to not be carrying any sort of weapon. While he was not sure he trusted him, Raymond did feel comfortable around this apparently gentle giant.

"We were invited here," he said. "Sort of. We were sent by the people who are going to pay us a lot of money to see what was going on here. But," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards Wesker's tower, "she seems to know that and she's keeping us on a short leash. We've met her one time. And she basically did no more than spit at us."

Raymond heard a rustle behind him, but he did not pay attention. "Now you. What is this deal about the mines?"

"She gives our people contracts. One year in the mines, she says. Then you can come home to your family. Only, no one has come home. Ever." He inclined his head to a woman in a ratty brown dress crouching behind an oil drum. "Her husband left for the mines three years ago. He's never returned." Milek shrugged and said, "Of course I'm sure there are mining incidents, mines are very dangerous, but - "

What happened next happened too fast. There was a scratching sound of wood against pavement, several running steps, followed by a gunshot. Raymond looked behind them to see the young teen from behind the car stopped dead in his tracks. A smoking bullet hole was only a foot in front of him.

"Drop it," Jackie said of the crude wooden weapon in his hands, "and go home, boy." Without even looking Raymond knew Jackie would still have her handgun trained on the kid.

Milek walked over to the boy and cuffed him on the ear. While Raymond and Jackie did not speak Russian, both knew the big man was furious. Raymond took the chance to look around, though he did not need to. The running footsteps told him everyone else had scattered.

"Thanks," Raymond muttered. "I heard a noise - "

Jackie slowly lowered the gun. "You know I've got your back," she said. "That noise was him pulling it from under the car. Just goes to show something, huh?"

"They don't have guns," Raymond agreed.

Milek finished berating the boy with a gentle shove away from the three adults. "Go, I'll find you later." After the boy left, he jerked his head towards him. "Lost his whole family to the "mines" as it was. He's nothing but a street kid now."

He let out a sigh that was almost as big as him. "We take care of each other, but that might have blown our chance of getting any help from the outside world. Not that we'd trust it, you see. _She_ was supposed to be help from the outside. You see where this is." Looking at Raymond and Jacqueline, he nodded to himself and added, "She constructed a prison, it's about the one place that has any sort of activity now. You might want to check there."

* * *

Alex herself was aware of the meeting, but she left the actual watching to Stuart and a few goons. When he reported back, she waved a hand towards him dismissively. She was more interested in a computer print out of a list with a few pieces marked out.

"Master Alex, should we take care of them now?"

"I told you," she said coldly, regarding the candidates listed on a paper she had just been sent, "I have plans for them. As for the rest of the villagers, go ahead and round them up. We can always run a few more tests on the bracelets before we put them to use. I have my guinea pigs, I just want to make certain the bracelets work properly."

* * *

That night a light rain began to fall. Raymond lay next to Jackie on their bed, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. She was sitting at the foot of the bed, one leg crossed over the other. She kicked that leg absently. The room was dim, lit only by the light in the small bathroom.

"Your turn," Raymond reminded her. They had each been talking about themselves. Raymond waited for Jackie to say something, though she had not for a little while.

With a sigh, she fell backwards onto the bed. "OK," she said, making up her mind. "I don't know who my dad is."

"Wow."

"Wow, what? It's something you don't know about me."

"Yeah, but I kind of expected something different, like you stole a dog for reward money or broke a kid's arm in middle school or - "

Jackie burst into laughter. "So stealing a dog or breaking a kid's arm is better than not knowing who my dad is?"

"I'm just saying, not knowing who your dad is, it was probably pretty low on the list."

Jackie started to reply to that, but then she stopped. "Did you hear that?" They sat and listened for a moment. Over the light rain, though from a distance, they could hear screaming and the occasional gunshot. Neither of them got any sleep that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Notes: _What I had wanted to do was have Raymond confess to kind of sort of being the one to kill Rachael. It hit me the other day, he went around infecting the crew, so it's kind of his fault she became an Ooze, but I could not write it and make it sound right._

Chapter 6

The violence outside did not reach their private residence. While the idea to flee was in both of their minds, neither Jackie nor Raymond was sure it was safe to leave.

"Left your kevlar at home?" Jackie teased once that night, around four in the morning.

"Never leave home without it," Raymond replied casually as he had sat by the door.

Other than that exchange, they had stayed quiet and alert. Someone did come for them later that day, though. Someone they did not expect.

"I must apologize, I've been a most ungracious host," Alex Wesker said to them after they had answered her knocking. It was not just her. She was flanked by the ever present Stuart and four members of her own militia. "I hope my people didn't keep you awake last night," she added.

"Slept like a baby," Raymond said, the lie coming easily to him.

"There is something I'd like to show you, if you're willing to come with me."

The request felt more like a command. Feeling there was no other choice, Jackie and Raymond followed Alex outside. "It isn't too far a walk," Alex told them as they went down the street. "And don't mind the mess. I had a little pest problem to take care of last night."

The mess she referred to became clear as they walked. There were no people around. At least not living ones. A few corpses were scattered along their walk, but there was a lot of blood and empty casings laying around. The only causality of Alex's own force that they saw was laying dead in the middle of the road, a long piece of wood sticking out of his throat.

"A pity," Alex remarked. She did not seem to mean it.

Their walk took them to a prison, the very one Alex had constructed, though it looked much older than either Jackie or Raymond expected it to be. It was run down and crumbling, though the security systems inside were state of the art. All locks were electronic, even on the cells.

As they walked along the prison, Raymond took in everything. Many of the cells were dark, but he was positive they were not empty. Animal like growling came from several of them. The few people he did see were hiding close to the bars, huddled in what little light they had. On their wrists were some kind of bracelet, most of them bright orange in color.

"What are you doing to them?" Jackie asked in a hushed voice. She stepped closer to Raymond, but peered around his shoulder. She was surprised to see the person in the cell. It was the young man who tried to attack them. He did not make eye contact.

"They're just the latest patch in a long line of testing. Those bracelets you see monitor their fear." Alex stopped in front of the cell. "Orange means anxiety. But when fear pushes them over the edge - " she gestured to the darkened cell behind them. There was a loud growl from within.

One of her men shined a flashlight into the cell. The creature inside, no longer human, shielded its eyes and snarled. It still _looked_ human, but it was wild, with a sickly pallor to its skin and open wounds on its body. Once the flashlight was shut off, it screamed and leaped towards the bars.

Alex did not care about the former human inside the cell. She watched Raymond and Jackie instead. Raymond showed no reaction, which interested in. Jackie had flinched, despite her best effort to remain calm. She smirked, then walked ahead.

"But that is not what I wanted to show you. I wanted you to see this."

Alex lead them further into the prison. Deep inside, they found a room with a very angry creature inside. It took taller than the other monsters and the humans as well. On its head was a large metal helmet. It roared and raged, tossing furniture around the room with ease.

"Milek?" Raymond asked, watching with disinterest. He had expected it the moment he heard the gunshots the night before. Alex had rounded up the remaining civilians and was using them as test subjects. He did feel a little bit of guilt, he even wondered if their meeting with Milek sealed the civilians' fates, but he also knew this would probably have been their fate either way.

"Yes, though it took a bit to break him," Alex said, with the same casual air of someone commenting on another person's outfit. "Further testing took him to this extreme. It's a rather interesting result, don't you think?"

"Why would you do that?" Jackie asked.

"To push the boundaries of fear," Alex replied. She did not elaborate. It seemed that answer was enough for her.

"And what about us?" Jackie asked, watching the thing that was Milek only a short time ago toss a table their way. It shattered into splinters. It roared and appeared to search for another thing to throw.

"You two would make interesting fear subjects," Alex admitted. She smirked again, thinking to herself that Jackie would probably not last nearly as long as Raymond. "But I have something else in mind." She turned to her lackeys and addressed them.

"Take them to the mines," she began. "Make sure they're armed well enough to defend themselves. I want combat data on some of the more... unique specimens. Since some people are so interested in T-Phobos, we might as well profit off of some of the failures."


	7. Chapter 7

Notes: _My apologies about the length of the last chapter._

 _Hmm, Iron Head has the reach, but Pyramid Head has the endurance. That would be an interesting showdown._

Chapter 7

Neither said a word as they were transported to the mine, given their weapons, and ammo. After Alex's troops left them, Raymond sighed and said, "Well, this is better than I expected, at least. I'd rather be testing a B.O.W.'s combat skills than _being_ the B.O.W."

"I know what you mean," Jackie said with a sigh. "I still don't like this," she added.

They stayed alert, but what Alex wanted to test them against they seemed unsure. The mines seemed completely abandoned. As they explored, they found several gemstones scattered around. "Explains what they were mining," Raymond said, tossing a ruby in his hand.

"I guess the mine wasn't as dried up as they thought."

"Guess not."

They took their time, not exactly combing over the area, but slowly exploring their location, taking in whatever they could find. There were notes and even the occasional diary for them to read, but nothing told them anything they could not have figured out before.

They made their way down, towards a small grouping of buildings. Outside of one, a few very large spiders were bunched together. "Ugh, they're huge," Jackie said, watching as one climbed up the wall.

"I've seen bigger," Raymond remarked. "Just leave them alone unless they bother you." She watched them as Raymond knelt and began to tinker with the cheap lock on the door. It popped open with ease. The spiders seemed disinterested in the two of them as they entered the building.

There was enough daylight left to see what was inside. Most of the building was empty, with a workbench and desk being the only furniture. Boxes were stacked against the wall, which Raymond started to look through. Jackie guarded the door, though nothing, perhaps other than the spiders, had given them the feeling they needed to keep watch.

"Looks like it's all mining papers," Raymond said, shifted one box out of the way.

"Hurry up," Jackie whispered.

"Scared of the spiders?"

"No, I think I saw something move."

Raymond paused with a box partially opened. He dropped the lid with a thunk and joined her at the door. "You sure it wasn't a spider?" he asked, his tone hushed.

"Positive," she said, gesturing in the distance. "It was over there."

They stood in silence, watching. A lumbering humanoid could be seen, though it was clearly not fully human. Its upper body was much too big and rounded. "I guess that's what we're being tested against," Raymond said, checking to be sure his gun was loaded.

"Must be," Jackie whispered.

With a roar, the creature drew back a very large arm and flung, sending a large part of itself at them. "Move!" Raymond shouted, grabbing Jackie's hand and pulling her away. The two ducked behind a heap of rubble before the "arm" collided with the small building, sending wood, papers, spider parts, and other things neither of them wanted to know flying through the air.

Jackie gagged at the smell. "That is too gross," she said. Then let out a muffled squeal as a black tentacle landed on her arm. She shook it off then stepped on it.

Raymond watched the monster as it lumbered closer. "There's a weak spot, a very obvious one at that," he remarked.

"Sounds like an Uroboros creature, " Jackie said, still looking where the tentacle had been.

"How do you know that?" Raymond asked.

"The BSAA went into highly detailed memos about them," she said, her tone light. "The black tentacles, a very obvious weak core... " she trailed off, looking from the mess on the ground to the monster. "Fire helps," she said. "According to Redfield's reports, anyway."

It drew back again, showing that the appendage it had thrown at them had regrown. It slung again, sending another part of itself their way.

"Split up!" Raymond demanded. He went left, Jackie went right. The split seemed to anger the creature, as it roared again. It hopped down from its perch, arm regenerating as it did. Raymond was the closer of the two targets, so its attention was drawn to him, giving Jackie room to take a shot.

When she did, the monster did something neither really expected. Once hit in its bright orange weak spot, its knees bent as it doubled over, momentarily stunned.

They managed to pull off a few more shots before it regained its footing. With Jackie now being the source of its anger, its attention turned to her. She moved, hoping to draw it away from the area while trying to give herself a chance to think.

"Go left!"

Jackie looked left then smiled. Raymond had spotted a few large, red barrels. "Let's hope this works," she said, glancing behind her as she turned. It was coming, slowly but surely. She slowed down as she approached the barrels, giving it a chance to catch up. As Raymond grew confident with where it was, he shouted for her to run. She did, no questions asked.

Putting such distance between herself caused it to stop near the barrels and get ready to throw its arm at her again. Taking the chance, Raymond took a shot at the barrels, which exploded, dousing the monster in fire. It shrieked and flailed, but almost immediately succumbed to the flames.

"That was different!" Jackie shouted. Raymond scoffed to himself but joined her. "Definitely Uroboros," she said, watching the black tentacles writhe and die.

"It's getting dark," Raymond said. "We need to find somewhere safe."

"Right behind you," Jackie said.

Somewhere safe turned out to be another small building, though this one had a much stronger lock. And it was not infested with spiders. Jackie sank down on the ground, adrenaline spent.

"I'll take first watch," Raymond told her. She sank down on the floor, nodding in thanks. As he pushed one chair under the bolted door, and another to the window to keep an eye out, she asked him something that had been on her mind.

"We going deeper into the mine? Or are we going to look for a way back into town?"

"What do you want to do?" Raymond asked. Personally, he was ready to just get off the island.

"I want to go back into town. I have a bone to pick with Alex Wesker."


	8. Chapter 8

Notes: _As much as I love Neil, mostly for his voice actor, I'm struggling to get him in like I want! I also hate school breaks, because I can never type anything with my sister on my shoulder!_

Chapter 8

Jackie awoke the next morning to find Raymond asleep in his chair. "Hey," she whispered, shaking his shoulder. "I thought you were going to wake me to take watch."

He yawned and mumbled something that sounded like he didn't want to wake her. "Are we heading out of here?" he asked. He rose to his feet and stretched, his muscles aching from sleeping in a chair for hours.

She nodded. "So long as we aren't ambushed on our way out."

"I doubt we will."

Jackie nodded. He was probably right. The idea had, after all, been to just dump them in the mine to deal with some of her creations. They left the small building as quietly as possible. That was not necessary. They seemed to be the only ones in the mines at that point.

Raymond was quick to remind her that they had no idea what was lurking around the corners. They retraced their path into the mines, hoping to find the way they had been brought in. There were more of the large spiders, but nothing else seemed to be alive in the mines. Not even stray dogs or cats. Or rats.

"It's so creepy," Jackie whispered.

"The whole island is creepy," Raymond reminded her.

They followed a set of tire tracks in silence for several minutes. Raymond stayed behind Jackie, keeping an eye out for anything that might be ready to cause them harm. Near the entrance to the mines, they found the vehicle and soldiers that had brought them here. A stench rose from the destroyed vehicle that was disgustingly familiar.

"Guess they ran into that _thing_ first," Raymond remarked. From the wreck and splattered goo, they did manage to salvage a medical kit and some extra ammo. The vehicle itself was too destroyed, but the island was small. They would have no problem walking.

On the road back into town, they saw a few familiar sights. Mostly abandoned cars, but a few corpses still rotted in the street. A stringy stray dog growled at the them before scurrying off. Raymond thought of shooting it, no doubt it had gotten a taste of human, but he did not want the sound to alert anyone who might be nearby.

For there had to be someone nearby. To his surprise, on a low wall in front of a build sat a red teddy bear with a blue hoodie. "I can't believe that," he muttered to himself. He walked over to the bear and crouched in front of it.

"What?"

"That bear. They gave them out to kids who lived through Terragrigia." To himself, he added, _At least it isn't a Hunter._

From the window of the building there was movement. A little girl peeked out at them, then ducked her head. "Should we do something?" Jackie asked. "Before that nut job finds this kid?"

Raymond reached for the bear, which caused the little girl to shake her head. She said something though neither adult could hear her through the glass. She opened the door near the bear and said, "Don't mess with Lottie!"

"I was just going to give it back," Raymond said softly. "I actually know these bears. So you were in Terragrigia?"

The girl nodded. "The man who gave her to me is also here, I was looking for him but I didn't want to bring Lottie in here."

"Why not?" Raymond's tone was calm, but he wondered who else was on the island. It had to be someone who was in the former FBC.

"She'll get messy." For a small child, that argument made a lot of sense.

"Raymond." Jackie's voice broke the silence. "We need to go." To the girl, she asked, "Do you want to come with us?"

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll be fine here," she said, scooping up the bear that she had named Lottie. "I'm sure he'll come back."

"The place is deserted," Jackie said, placing her hand on Raymond's shoulder. "How much trouble can one kid get into? We have _got_ to leave before she sends someone out after us."

Almost as if agreeing with her, the door clicked shut again as the girl left. "See?" Jackie said, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "We'll come back to look for her later, if we have time."

"Yeah," Raymond said, getting to his feet. "Wonder who came here with her, though."

"Maybe we'll find something there," Jackie said, gesturing towards the large tower. "I'm thinking," she said slowly as they walked in the direction of the building, "we might need to split up. How about you head back to the, ah, residence, and see if we've got anything left. Maybe she didn't bother to ransack it."

"And you?"

Jackie reached into her boot and removed a flash drive. "I got enough right here. At least until you catch up with me."

Raymond fought the urge to roll his eyes. _Of course_ she's learned to carry a flash drive with her. To be honest with himself, he was a little surprised she had not stored it elsewhere.

"Are you sure you don't want to go together?" he asked.

"That worried about me?" she asked with a playful smile.

"Oh, go," he said. This time he did roll his eyes.

With a laugh and a wink, she headed off ahead of him. Once she was gone, he looked back. The urge to go after the girl was pretty strong. He did not want to leave her here by herself. After that _thing_ in the mines, and what they saw on the prison, he had no idea what else there was wandering around.

But Jackie sent him to find their things. He smiled to himself. This take charge attitude that she was starting to develop was something he found himself liking.

Once he reached the residence, he was not surprised. The door hung off its hinges. Just looking inside he could see the room ransacked. The beds were flipped, their own items strewn about.

He went to work collecting everything together. It seems none of their things were that interesting. Most everything he found with ease, though he knew Jackie would not be happy. Her tablet had a crack down the screen. When he tried to switch it on to see if it still worked, the battery was dead. Everything else, including the hidden compartments she had sewn into their bags herself, was accounted for.

Jackie had reached the tower almost at the same time Raymond was reaching under the bed for her broken tablet. She had seen nothing and no one. "Guess I'll just go through the front," she told herself, reaching for the front door. It swung open with ease. Keeping her hand on her gun, Jackie went inside.


	9. Chapter 9

Notes: _I have had so much to do that I have barely had time to work on this! I love this so much, actually I had wanted to kill Jackie off, but I want to write these two forever!_

Chapter 9

She had not expected any opposition, but the empty tower was a little nerve wracking. Jackie had regretted the decision to send Raymond back, but he would join her soon. She was sure of it.

She was not so sure on where she was going, but surely it would take no genius to get to the lab. Accessing the lab, on the other hand...

She tried to remember her surroundings in her mind. She found a small office and slipped into the chair behind the desk. As she waited for the computer to boot up, something nagged at her. That kid. She had no idea who she was or what she was doing there.

"It was wrong to leave her," Jackie mumbled to herself as she began typing at the keyboard, "but what else can we do? If Wesker sees we got out of the mines, she'll be after us."

It was surprisingly easy to find what she wanted. She just needed to find an elevator to get her to the lab.

On her way, she found no one. There was nobody left in the facilities, or so it seemed. Everything was empty, only her footsteps echoed in the corridors. But everything seemed tidy. Alex Wesker's workers must have willingly gone wherever she might have asked them to go.

"It's almost no fun," Jackie said to the empty building. There was no opposition. No one there to stop her. She had free reign. Or, she would have, if she did not feel like something was watching her.

Not even the lab, once she found it, seemed to have any life to it. She found a computer and reached for the flash drive. Before she could grab it, something caught her attention. On the desk was one of the bracelets that looked just like the ones the prisoners had been wearing. She reached for it, then drew back. Was that footsteps?

Yes, it was.

She returned the drive to her boot, grabbed the bracelet without even thinking of it, then looked around. _Now someone had to show up,_ she thought to herself. There was a cabinet on the far side of the room. With only a small pause, she hurried to it and slipped inside.

There were no slats on the door for her to look out of, but she had left the door open slightly. She could hear a male and female talking as they made their way to the room. In the dim light, Jackie held her gun in one hand, the bracelet in the other. It was green. On it, she saw the numbers 08. What could they mean?

She did not know, but they could find out later.

" - sure I'll find her. Where else could she have gone?"

"You had better find you. You said yourself she was the best candidate. In your eyes, at least."

Jackie could not place the man's voice, but she knew Alex's.

"I promise you, she's what you're looking for. As for the sample...?"

"You'll get it."

There was the sound of rustling papers. Jackie assumed Alex was done with the conversation and her male companion could not take the hint. But Alex spoke. "Once you find her, bring her back here immediately. It should not take you too long."

She paused, then rustled more paper. "As for the rest of your list, we'll just have to see what they're made of. If this girl is a failure, maybe one of the others won't be."

"I'm on it." As he left the room, Alex sighed. Jackie held her breath, waiting. IF Alex decided to make herself at home, there was no way she could wait in the cabinet for too long. Her legs were already starting to cramp.

It seemed like eons, but Jackie finally heard Alex leaving. She decided to give the other woman a few minutes before slipping out. She rubbed her legs and muttered to herself, still clutching tightly to the bracelet in her hand. But she had learned something of interest. Apparently, Wesker wanted the girl.

"Guess I better find Raymond," Jackie said to herself. She looked longingly towards the computers before pocketing the bracelet. It might prove to be a better prize in the long run. She slipped it in her pocket and began to head out, now much more aware of her surroundings.

She saw no one else again until she reached the entrance. "Raymond, " she gasped. Resisting the urge to hug him, she nonetheless hurried over. "I guess you were right about the kid, looks like she - " Jackie jerked her head towards the direction she had come from, " - is looking for her."

"Why?" Raymond asked, passing one of her bags he held to her.

Jackie shook her head and explained everything she had overheard. "I'm sorry," she added when she had finished. "I know I should have grabbed anything that might have helped us, especially those papers I kept hearing, but I just wanted to get out. I did get this, though." She pulled the bracelet from her pocket.

Raymond examined it for a minute, then complimented her quick thinking. "So," he added, turning it over in his hand and running his thumb over the numbers, "it looks like she has at least eight people she's planning on doing something with. I don't want to be one of them."

"Me either. But what do we do?"

"We need to see if we can find that girl," Raymond said, leading her to the door. "If we can't, then we at least tried. I've been in touch with a contact of mine, he'll get us out of here. But we'll have to wait a few days."

"Great," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. She sighed, then added, "What are a few more nights on this messed up island really going to change?"

"Not a lot."

They slowly walked down the street. Despite the strange situation, neither felt like being in much of a hurry. They were not surprised to find the bear gone once they had retraced their steps. "Now what?" Jackie asked. "She could be anywhere."

"It isn't a huge island," Raymond conceded.

"I don't want to split up," Jackie said, a little too quickly. He smirked at her. She gestured to the door, trying to act as though she had not seen the smirk, and said, "Do we go in?"

"Yeah, might as well try it."

The door creaked and groaned, but it would not open. Raymond glanced in one of the windows and said, "Something might have scared her. Maybe she locked herself in. Let's see if we can find another way."

They circled the building. The windows were not much help. They were either locked or boarded up. Through one, Jackie was certain she had seen movement. "Here," she said, pointing to a broken ladder to the second story. "Think I can make it?"

Raymond shrugged and cupped his hands, giving her a boost to the ladder. She climbed up and found an unlocked door. "I'll let you in the front, then we'll search," she promised.

She slipped inside, immediately wishing she had a flashlight. It was dark. And everything was dusty. She sneezed, then covered her mouth and hoped she had not blown her cover. Then she rolled her eyes. There was nothing around, except maybe a little girl.

She found the stairs with ease, though she was scared to take them. They were broken in several places. But they took her right to the front door and to Raymond.


	10. Chapter 10

Notes: _Time to admit one of my greatest shames: I am super scared of making a plush Raymond for one reason. I am terrifed of his tie! I've done ties before, but never striped!_

Chapter 10

"So this has been going on for a while," Raymond remarked, moving a broken chair with his foot.

"Guess she got what she wanted while pretending to care, then stopped the pretending." After another sneeze, she added, "I almost feel bad for the villagers."

"Almost?"

"They attacked us," she reminded him.

"But can you blame them?"

Jackie shook her head and went ahead of him, muttering something that sounded a lot like "voice of reason." He followed her without a word.

A search of the building, or as much as they could access, did not reveal hide nor hair of the little girl. One locked door was enough for them to want to leave. It was bolted but inside they could hear human like screeches and snarls. The back door opened up onto the street.

"Do we keep going?" Jackie asked. "Where is your pilot friend going to meet us, anyway?"

Raymond shrugged. "We agreed on working that out when he finds the island. I couldn't provide him with a map, remember?"

They started down the street, unnerved by the silence. In the distance they could hear growling, but it didn't sound like a normal dog growl. "This is spooky," Jackie admitted as they passed an abandoned park. "Almost like someone flipped a switch and showed us what really goes on here."

"We did stay in the house most of the trip," Raymond reminded her.

Before Jackie could reply, there was an animalistic snarl from their right. Raymond held his handgun at the ready and nodded to Jackie. Out from behind a pile of trash stepped a monsterous dog-like creature. It howled and charged, but a bullet to the head stopped it immediately.

"Ugh," Jackie said with a groan, "it looks like an overgrown possum."

"Whatever it is, I want to get out of here before more show up. B.O.W.s like to travel in packs."

"I'll take your word for it."

Their leisurely pace became a sprint. Either the creatures were escaping, or Alex was letting them loose. Whichever it was, neither Raymond nor Jackie were looking to become lunch.

The sun was starting to sink when they came upon the fishing village they had once been warned about. Jackie seemed unsure, but Raymond pointed out that, like everything else they had come across so far, it seemed abandoned.

"That you know of," Jackie said, but she followed Raymond to the village, her hand resting on her weapon. Despite her uncertainty, and the prickling sensation at the back of her neck, the village did indeed seem empty.

The desire to explore the village was large, but not as overwhelming as the desire to find shelter. At the heart of the little village stood a pub. The front door hung open, but the inside was as empty as the rest of the village. And there was a way to bar the door.

"This is rather... modern looking isn't it?" Jackie had seated herself at one of the small tables.

"Probably another one of Wesker's... gifts," Raymond responded as he explored the small building. The upstairs was even smaller than the downstairs, but Raymond was quick to note the rather high tech looking panel at the back of the small loft.

Downstairs, there was less of note, though he did find an unopened bottle of wine. Jackie laughed when she spotted it, then pulled a candy bar from her bag.

"Cheers," Raymond said, fighting a smile.

"No, let's do this right." She pointed out one of the windows. "There's a ladder."

The night was a little chilly but cloudless. While being on a roof in an abandoned village late one night, drinking and eating chocolate, was not the best of ideas, both agreed falling off the roof would be better than winding up in Alex Wesker's hands again.

"Not that I plan on falling," Jackie said, passing the candy to Raymond. She sighed and stared off towards the waves breaking on the small shore of the beach. "You know what?" she said suddenly. "This island makes me sick of the ocean and the beach. After this, I think I'm going on a vacation."

"Skiing?" Raymond asked, breaking off a piece of the half eaten treat. "That's about as far from an island as I can think of."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jackie replied. "Nice and cold, with no water in sight, except ice." She reached for the bottle, then took a sip. Slowly, she lowered the bottle. "Have you noticed something?"

He turned to her, waiting for her to talk.

"It's been rather quiet here. Maybe they haven't gotten this far yet."

"Then where are the villagers?"

"Not here," Jackie replied. She pointed to the few houses on the island. There were no lights, no smoke rising from the chimneys. "If I had to guess, I'd say long gone. Probably off in the mines, or imprisoned with everyone else."

"Good thing for us."

They sat on the roof for a long time, arguing over which constellations were visible, what the best place to ski was, and whether or not the village was worth looking over. As Jackie tried to point out that most of the writing they had seen recently had not been in English, Raymond shushed her.

"What?" she asked in a whisper. He pointed towards the direction in which they had entered the village. Jackie watched in confusion, then nodded, realizing what she was seeing. It was a flashlight. Someone was out there and looking for something.

Or someone.

"I'm going to check this out," Raymond told her, heading towards the ladder. "Pull the ladder back up when I get down."

"Right," Jackie murmured. She had been close to nodding off, but now she was wide awake again. "Be careful," she said, gripping the ladder and waiting for Raymond to reach the ground. She hauled it back to the roof, thankful it did not creak.

She lost sight of him as he wandered through the shanties, so she turned her gaze towards the intruder.

Despite not knowing the layout of the village, Raymond found it easy to sneak through it. The buildings were crude and lumped together in groups. The soft ground hid his footsteps. As he got closer to the flashlight, he swore under his breath. "What is he doing here?"


	11. Chapter 11

Notes: _Tried to pick up the campaign from Revelations 2 again, need to do a lot there, but I forgot how much I hate the third episode! The first one was infinitely better._

Chapter 11

"Fisher," Raymond whispered. "Great."

He and Neil Fisher had known each other, though they were not and never would consider each other friends, through the FBC. At least he had the answer of who brought that little girl to the island.

 _But he's supposed to be with TerraSave,_ Raymond thought. He looked behind him, wondering if he could get back to Jackie without drawing Neil's attention. Or maybe that would be a better idea. It could give her the chance to get away, while getting some answers.

Clearly, Neil was looking for the girl. There was no other reason he would be out in the fishing village at this time of night. _Smart kid._ He stayed in the shadows, watching and waiting. He had made up his mind.

If Neil got too close to the center of the village, he would draw him away. If he stayed away from the village, Raymond would return to Jackie and they could either lock themselves in the bar, or head out of the village away from Fisher.

He slipped behind a shack, keeping an eye on the light from Neil's flashlight. "Damn," he whispered as Neil drew closer. He crouched and picked up a rock, then hurled it at one of the nearby buildings. It made a metallic _ting_ then a sound of glass as it broke something on the ground.

As he had hoped, Neil jerked his head in the direction of the noise, but turned back nearly immediately. _Of course it didn't work._

"Who's there?" Neil called, stepped closer to Raymond. He could see the other man was armed, but he decided to play it as it was.

"Fisher, this _is_ a surprise." On that, Raymond was not lying. Of all the former FBC members he knew, that weren't dead or incarcerated, Neil Fisher was the last person he expected here.

"Vester." At least Neil sounded surprised as well. "I was told you were dropped in the mines with some woman."

"Well, we got out. I take it we aren't the only people good at escaping you."

"What do you mean?" Neil asked, his tone casual but he seemed shocked.

"I saw the girl, and the bear." Raymond shook his head. "I've done some pretty low things in my life, but you abducted a girl who you saved from Terragrigia, then you brought her here for Alex Wesker. I don't want to know why, I really don't care, but that's pretty sad."

Neil scowled and drew his handgun. "That's a pretty heavy accusation, coming from someone like you, who is pretty high up on the BSAA wanted list. I could take you back to Wesker. Though I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I got rid of you here and now."

Raymond shrugged, feigning indifference. "And miss out on that BSAA reward money?" He scoffed and added, "I'm sure that much could _buy_ you a virus sample from Wesker."

Neil gritted his teeth to try to cover his surprise, but Raymond saw it. "Where is she?"

"What are you going to do with the virus?"

Neil shook his head. Raymond fully expected a complete villainous rant with his plans, but it seemed Neil was not willing to talk. "The FBC is long dead, in case you haven't noticed. And you're in TerraSave, I thought you were getting rid of the viruses and their creators. Something about terr not having to end in ist?"

"That's enough of that," Neil said, taking aim with his weapon. "You're going to come back with me."

"Can't say I feel like it," Raymond said, turning to walk away. He ducked behind a small building as Neil shot. He shook his head and looked towards the bar. He could not see Jackie up there but he had no idea if she had listened to him or not. He headed towards the building, wanting to just avoid Neil long enough to either get the drop on him, or get away.

But he could not pass up the chance of goading Neil, either. "How are you going to find the kid if you're chasing me?" he called over his shoulder.

"She can't get too far on this island by herself," Neil snapped.

Once he neared the building, Raymond hissed, "Jackie!"

She immediately popped her head up on the grassy little cliff leading away from the village. "Hey, to your right! There's a door, I'll let you in."

He went the way she suggested. She was right, there was a door. He could hear her drop down then saw the door creak open. "Hurry," she whispered. "This thing is stuck and slow moving."

He slipped through the gap she had opened and together they shut the door. There was a pile of wood laying next to it, Raymond grabbed a large plank and placed it in the door, wedging it shut. Then he turned to Jackie. "What was that about?" he demanded.

"I just saved you," she pointed out. Her body language was defensive, but she quickly softened. "You took so long I was worried you ran into trouble. I wanted to find an escape route. Is that too much?"

Raymond did not answer her right away. He went a little ahead of her as they started to walk away from the village. "Too bad we couldn't stay," Jackie muttered to herself. "Seemed pretty safe there."

"Well, Neil knew we were there, and he's looking for that girl. He's the one who brought her here. And he'll probably tell Wesker what he knows."

Jackie cocked her head, waiting for an explanation. When it didn't come, she gentled prodded. "Neil...?"

"He and I worked together in the FBC. I don't know what he's doing here, but it can't be good. He's supposed to be on TerraSave's side."

She nodded slowly. "I guess no one is working for who they say anymore."

They continued to walk, this time aimlessly. They had no idea where they were going, they just wanted to get away from the fishing village before Wesker sent her men after them. If she had any left. The lack of people, other than this mysterious little girl and Neil from the FBC, were both a comfort and very disturbing. Neither would ask, but both of them wondered if Alex had even turned her own people into monsters.


	12. Chapter 12

Notes: _To me, Neil's pretty shrewd. There is so little indicating that he is on the bad side, other than his bracelet which never changes._

 _Been super busy, and also really engrossed in Fire Emblem Fates these past few days._

Chapter 12

The sun was beginning to peek over the treetops when they stumbled across a few buildings. They could not even properly call it a village, it was just a few cabins together. Surprisingly, there was a large crane in a fenced in area behind the larger cabin. Jackie and Raymond exchanged a look, then shrugged.

"It seems quiet."

"Really quiet," Raymond agreed. But he was exhausted. And it seemed like a reasonable place to wait for their ride off the island. Without even looking, he knew there would be no one else around. Behind him, Jackie stretched, then put her bag down on a pile of lumber.

"I don't know about you," she began, "but I'm past ready to leave."

"I am, too." He sat down on the lumber pile and added, "I feel pretty uneasy, leaving that kid behind."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head and staring at him. "I honestly did not think you would care about anyone being left behind."

"You know what I mean."

Jackie sat down next to him. "If it makes you feel any better," she said, stifling a yawn as she spoke, "the kid seems pretty capable of taking care of herself. She made it through Terragrigia." She then grinned and added, "Unscratched, from the looks of it."

The idea of shoving her off their perch and onto the ground passed through Raymond's mind. But he chose instead to roll his eyes and change the subject.

"You didn't lose the bracelet, did you?"

"Oh!" Jackie patted in her pockets. She did not feel the bracelet. She began to root through her bag, pulling out a few things, including her tablet and half eaten candy, but still did not find it.

"Jackie..." Raymond began darkly. "If you lost it, you're going in the woods to look for it yourself."

"I didn't lose it," she began through clenched teeth.

"That is the only thing we managed to get - "

"Found it!' she said with a sigh, pulling it out of an interior pocket of her jacket. "It slipped into the corner." She glanced at him, then rolled his eyes. Twirling the bracelet around her finger, she added, "You would not have let me wander through the woods by myself."

"You seem confident of that."

"Well, I am."

He shook his head, got up, and started walking to the nearest cabin. He heard Jackie call out behind him, then, as he opened the door to the cabin, heard her groan loudly. He then heard her running towards him.

"Relax," he told her, glancing around the room. "It's empty."

"That isn't what's bothering me," she said with a scowl.

He laughed and stepped further into the room. When he said empty, he was not lying. There were only a scant few pieces of furniture, tables and shelves mostly. A quick glance showed there was nothing of interest left inside. Behind him, he heard Jackie stifle a squeal.

"How gross," she said, turning and leaving the cabin. A large rat glanced up from the corner, beady black eyes staring at the human intruders.

"It's just a rat."

"It's still gross."

"We've seen worse." Raymond glanced further into the cabin, but before he could step inside, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the message and smirked. "I guess you won't have to worry about him," he said, jerking his head towards the corner of the room. "Our ride will be here soon."

"Thank _God."_

She watched him text, then glanced around her. The island was unsettling. She would be glad to be off it. "How long?" she asked.

"Less than an hour." Raymond did not glance up from the phone. He was busy trying to explain what part of the island they were on. "Think we can land a helicopter here?"

"Oh yes, there's more than enough room."

As he finished, he glanced up at Jackie, who was looking impatiently around. "Relax," he told her.

"This is going to be the longest hour of my life," she grumbled. He could not help but chuckle.

"We could check this area out, give us something to do," he said, tucking his phone away.

"Are you kidding?" Jackie asked him, heading back towards the pile of lumber they had been sitting on earlier. "I just want to stay put, nothing bothering us, and just wait."

"I think you need a nap." he said as he followed her.

As he sat down next to her, he assumed she would snap at him for picking at her. Instead, she sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I could use a nap. In my own bed. And a shower." she added.

"You're not asking for much," he said. The two of them sat together like that, making the occasional small talk. The bracelet was in Jacqueline's hand. She kept twisting it between her fingers as they talked. To her surprise, she lost track of time.

When the sound of a helicopter broke the near silence, the two glanced up. "Ready to go?" Raymond asked.

"You know it."

After the helicopter landed, their pilot, a young man with pale blonde hair broken by a black streak on the left side of his bangs, called out to Raymond. "This place was pretty damn impossible to find!" he shouted.

"But you found us," Raymond said, helping Jackie aboard.

"Yeah, can't imagine the bosses will like you calling me, but what can we do?" he shrugged. "I don't even think most of them know where we are. Did you get what they wanted?"

"Sort of."

Jackie listened to their exchange with mild interest. She tucked the bracelet away, not wanting to mess with it anymore. Once it was in the hands of those who might be interested, she did not even care anymore. Once Raymond settled down next to her and they were in the air, she smiled at him and asked, "So... skiing?"


End file.
